After these two days of inspection, Zhou Buqi's team discovered a phenomenon.

The mobile phones popular in the Japanese market from Sharp, Panasonic, and Nec are all feature phones. They are very different from the domestic feature phones and are semi-smart phones.

In mobile phones, operators have pre-installed a lot of software in advance. When users purchase mobile phones, in addition to choosing the brand, configuration, appearance, and price of the mobile phone, they also look at what software is built in and what services are provided.

For example, videos, music, games, translations, notepads, recorders, stock software, etc. The difference from smartphones largely lies in the system.

Smartphones generally use the Symbian system, which is very powerful and allows users to control it as they wish, just like operating a computer.

If you like something, download and install it; if you don't like it, uninstall it and delete it.

Users have great choice.

However, the stability of mobile phone systems is very problematic these days, and is subject to limitations of processors and storage space. Once too many software are running or used for too long, it can easily cause lags, screen flashes, forced exits, and even system failure.

collapse.

It needs to be flashed before it can be used again.

For Japanese users who are afraid of trouble, this is the most intolerable point.

There are many software pre-installed by operators in feature phones. These software vendors and operators have a cooperative relationship and have mutual interests. They are bundled products. They are mandatory to use and cannot be uninstalled.

On the contrary, this makes it simple and hassle-free for users. They don’t have to think too much and can use whatever products the operator provides.

Moreover, the embedded system of a feature phone is more stable, and the built-in software is carefully designed according to the configuration of the mobile phone. It will not exceed the standard, and there will be no endless failures like smart phones.

When it came to the UC browser, Masayoshi Son was not sure, so he asked his assistant to ask.

The feedback results are surprising.

For example, in markets such as video, music, and games, where there are many products, fierce competition, and strong money-making effects, software vendors need to pay a sum of money to operators if they want to be pre-installed on mobile phones.

If it is a paid service, software vendors and operators can also share it.

There is another type of software that has a poor money-making effect.

If the software itself lacks a reasonable model for making money, it is unlikely to spend money to bribe operators to have it pre-installed in mobile phones.

However, some software is strictly necessary and must be pre-installed.

Such as mobile browser!

How to make money with mobile browser?

This is a problem all over the world. UC has no profits and is still in the stage of burning money.

Burning money to operate is a taboo in the Japanese market.

Conservative business concepts make them believe that the first mission of a company is to generate profits. Without profits, it is nonsense. Therefore, local mobile browsers are in a very embarrassing position.

There are only two or three models in Japan.

In order for operators to provide more services to users, browsers are indispensable. Some of them are developed by themselves, but the products are poor. Some are purchased collectively, and the operators pay to purchase a batch of genuine mobile browsers in advance.

Installed in mobile phone.

Others cooperate with mobile browsers such as Opera and are paid software. After users purchase a mobile phone, they need to spend additional money to purchase Opera's services.

All in all, using a mobile browser in Japan costs money!

Either the operator spends money and allows users to use it for free.

Either the user pays out of his own pocket.

In fact, this is the mainstream model of the software industry. Manufacturers develop it and consumers buy it. Less than 10% of the world's free software is available, and most of it requires payment. Only in China because of rampant piracy, the reverse is true.

Yes, software manufacturers have to ask users to use it for free.

This is Ziweixing’s opportunity!

After hard work in the domestic market, a complete set of free models have been developed. The business model of the domestic IT industry is so advanced that even Japan and Silicon Valley are not as advanced.

There is no need for operators owned by SoftBank to spend money to purchase other people’s mobile browsers.

Zhou Buqi smiled and said: "No need to bother, uc is free! It is provided to you for free!"

Son Zhengyi asked: "Charge users?"

Zhou Buqi shook his head and said: "No, it's free. It's free to operators, it's free to users, it's free forever. The spirit of the Internet is free."

Son was silent for a while, "This model may not work. Software is different from the Internet. It depends on..."

Zhou Buqi laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, we have our own philosophy. UC is free in China and has been losing money. It's not important. To run a business, you must delay gratification. Ignore the immediate profit gains and losses, and take a long-term view."

Ziweixing is new here, providing Japanese users with an excellent free mobile browser, just like we spend money to make friends, so that everyone can feel the friendliness and goodwill of Ziweixing."

Son Zhengyi asked: "Are you going to start building the UC brand?"

Zhou Buqi nodded, "We have this plan."

Sun Zhengyi pondered for a while, "If it is for brand promotion, this idea is not impossible. The cost of free software should be regarded as marketing expenses. However, the Internet habits of Japanese users are different from those of China, so general products will not work.

uc needs to be designed specifically for Japanese users."

"Of course! No problem! After it is made, I will give it to you for inspection. If it passes the test, it will be pre-assembled. If it fails, continue to adjust. Don't rush, just take your time."

Zhou Buqi is full of confidence.

Companies in Silicon Valley cannot succeed because they protect their intellectual property rights too well, their imitation capabilities are too poor, and their localized designs are not enough. Ziweixing is not afraid, it is too simple.

It would be difficult to start a localized design from scratch. Ziweixing would not have any advantage over Silicon Valley giants.

But we are not starting from scratch now.

There are also several mobile browsers in Japan, so just imitate them by exploiting their strengths and avoiding their weaknesses. Mobile browsers are small items, and unlike engineering software that has many patents, any design is strictly protected.

At the end of the meeting, Zhou Buqi and his party were very excited.

It went very smoothly!

As expected, Sun Zhengyi is very interested in developing his country's Internet market. At the same time, he also found the first market breakthrough for UC.

Yu Yong responded: "We are not afraid of small opportunities, but we are afraid of no opportunities. If we can reach a cooperation, uc browser can really be pre-installed in mobile phones sold by SoftBank Vodafone. I believe that a catfish effect will soon form."

He Yang agreed: "No matter how traditional and old-school their business model is, one thing can be confirmed, that is, everyone is here to make money. If there is money to be made, there will be a market."

Yu Yongfu said with a smile: "Yes, SoftBank can use free mobile browsers, but other operators have to spend money to purchase... This is equivalent to increasing the competitiveness of SoftBank operators. Other operators must

If you don’t adjust, you will suffer losses. As long as we cooperate with SoftBank, I believe that within two to three years, uc browser can be pre-installed on all mobile phones.”

Zhou Bu felt that he was still a little conservative.

It doesn’t take two or three years at all!

As long as the subprime mortgage crisis breaks out smoothly, all companies will face a crisis of survival, and they will have to increase revenue, reduce expenditure, and even lay off employees... After half a year, all operators will have to take the initiative to seek cooperation with UC.

Accepting financing from SoftBank is still very valuable.

Shi Jinglin asked: "Can UC's free model really not make money?"

Yu Yongfu hesitated for a moment, then muttered: "It's difficult. The main income of UC in China is not the browser, but the mobile website derived from UC. The browser's income is only two yuan. Cooperating with the search engine, we can get

There is a platform fee. There is also an advertising fee. For example, when you open the software, advertisements pop up on the interface."

Shi Jinglin immediately said: "It's best not to! There are pop-up advertisements like this in the mobile version of MSN. It's annoying me to death."

Zhou Buqi said: "It's better not to invest in advertising in the early stage. Let's build up word-of-mouth and branding first. Once a market monopoly is formed through the relationship between operators, we can then try to explore some profit models. Don't worry. uc browser

Its positioning is to be a traffic grabber. Burn money first and then support it.”

Tang Binchen said firmly: "The default search engine of UC Browser must be Yahoo. Even if they don't pay the service fee, they must cooperate. This will become the key to our cooperation with Yahoo Japan."

Zhou Buqi was silent for a moment, "It should be."

He is somewhat idealistic.

Just making money can no longer satisfy his pursuit. He already has enough wealth that he cannot spend it all. To develop business in Japan, to a large extent, he wants to take advantage of the foresight to enter the market in advance and increase the flow of the Japanese market.

The ecology is built.

Just like Ziweixing does in the country.

At that time, domestic companies can use Ziweixing's traffic platform to expand their business in Japan, without having to be as coy as Kingsoft's drug tyrants in the past.

There are even many times when you are being disrespectful and others ignore you.

The search business is difficult and it involves Japanese, so it is not easy to do it in a short time. We have discussed internally before that Weidian will not be involved in this business in the short term.

But Baidu has been doing it for a year.

It is said that Baidu Japan will officially operate next year and grab share in the Japanese market.

Zhou Buqi firmly supports it.

Even when it comes to the default search engine of UC browser, the first thing that comes to his mind is Baidu.

But Tang Binchen is right, in the short term, we must hold on to Yahoo Japan's thigh.

…

The next day, the group visited Yahoo Japan.

Everyone has more confidence.
To be continued...